


Healing With Peppermint and Strawberries

by orphan_account



Category: Batman (Comics), Teen Titans (Comics)
Genre: Calendar fills, M/M, Magic AU, Some Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-09-09 07:28:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8881363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Entry #8: The Witch Across the Way AUJason is a healer living in a small town by himself. He works with potions and takes great pride in his work. When another witch moves in across the street, one who uses pure magic, he is understandably a little annoyed. Just not for the reason Dick suspects when he visits.





	

When Dick comes into Jason's kitchen, Jason is hard at work stirring something that looks like a mix of liquids and leaves. He looks annoyed. That is nothing new.

Dick moves past him easily to the fridge. He is comfortable in Jason's house, and Jason has nothing to say about it anymore. He opens the fridge and scans it lazily, letting Jason be the first to initiate the conversation.

Jason does not take long.

"I take it B sent you," he says, his back still to Dick. He is at this point viciously beating the leaf parts into submission in the bowl.

He does not bother to ask Dick how he got in. He knows better by now.

Dick eyes the bottles in the fridge. Very few of them have labels, which worries him. After some consideration, he reaches for a beer and closes the door.

"He doesn't do it to annoy you, you know," he says. Jason shrugs his tense shoulders. Dick pops the cap and takes a swig of his drink.

"Did he?" Jason asks. Dick chuckles.

"No." He walks up to the table and sits on it by Jason's side. There are books and ingredients spread out all over it, as is normal for Jason.

"I'm just here to visit," Dick assures. Jason relaxes just a tad.

Bruce does send his children to check on Jason once in a while, but it is not because he holds a grudge, as Jason so often suspects. Instead he asks them because he is worried, because he wants to know how one of his oldest is doing from time to time. Jason has a hard time believing that, and Dick gets that.

Potions and remedies are not exactly part of the family business. Neither is Jason's magic, which is the reason he lives in this small town instead of in Gotham with his family now. Bruce may have reconsidered his stance on metas and magic since Jason was last with them, but some things were said during that time that have proven difficult for Bruce to take back. It does not help that Jason took them to heart, and anything Jason decides on becomes the law in his mind. The man is more stubborn than the leaves which refuse to be crushed in his bowl, and so is their adoptive father.

That, however, actually has nothing to do with why Dick is here. Instead he is here because of a much more amusing rumour which has reached them all the way at home.

"Cass tells me you have a new guy in town," he says, starting soft. It does not make any difference, because Jason looks up at him as though he just personally offended him.

"What did she tell you?" he says. Dick shrugs.

"That you have some competition. He uses pure magic, right?"

Normally, the mention of Jason's magic would make him retreat and change the subject with the most annoyed tone. Now, however, it makes him pause his stirring to throw his hands up in almost comical exasperation.

"Pure magic!" he bursts out, before he catches himself and lowers his voice to a more conversational tone. "Flashy, overpriced, redundant bull. Who even does that sort of thing anymore?"

"It works just a little faster, though, doesn't it?" Dick smiles very happily at him. Jason is so much fun to rile up, and this new addition to Jason's dynamic is already proving quite fun.

Jason glares at him.

"It's an archaic, reckless, overrated healing method. Adding a vessel, enhancing herbs, and a channel for the magic to flow through dramatically-"

"Reduces the magical quota and makes for a much more stable and safe method of healing," Dick finishes for him. He has heard this speech many times before. Jason has a lot of feelings for his craft.

Especially considering the fact that pure magic does work much faster, as well as in a more satisfying way. Drinking something that tastes like strawberries and waiting a night or two is not as glamorous to watch as getting your broken leg healed in seconds with the help of some chanting and a dramatic blue glow. There is a reason it is still popular to use this technique, even as it proves exhausting and sometimes even dangerous. Pure magic can take a lot of of a person, often requiring a lot of rest and recovery.

"Is he doing enough to damage your business, though?" Dick asks, curious. "I mean, it's not like he can do very much at a time. Not a lot of people can."

Jason gestures at him with the ladle. "It doesn't matter if he is or not. It's the principle of it, Dick. It's a stupid, reckless method, and it gives magic a bad name."

Dick leans back to make sure Jason misses him with the ladle. He catches a whiff of peppermint from it, and it makes him curious as to what Jason is actually making.

"So you're pissed off on principle?"

It is not an uncommon occurrence for Jason. It happens a lot when he watches cooking shows as well. He prefers the competitive ones, for the purpose of yelling at them when they mess up. Jason loves that.

"Partly, yes," Jason replies, again with the dramatic ladle. "Partly because he feels the need to. Regulated and enhanced magic is perfectly fine on its own and it spends no more of your energy than it needs to, but people like the flashy version so much that witches all over are using it just because it gets attention. It's not the best or the safest way to do it, just the fastest, and if you ask me that's what's wrong with our society."

Dick drinks more of his beer as he begins to tune Jason out. Jason can go for a long time once he gets started, and Dick knows the main points already. His little brother has a lot of feelings, and Dick has the gist of it by now.

He is sitting at such an angle that he has a good view of the doorways to the hallway upstairs and the living room of Jason's house. He looks down the hall, distracting himself with the paintings on Jason's walls and the potted plants which line all his nooks and crannies. That is, until something moves in the corner of his eye.

The atmosphere changes in the room as Dick realises that Jason's couch is in fact covered with a lumpy blanket, and that there seems to be someone sleeping wrapped up in it. This is one of the last things Dick would ever expect to see in Jason's house. It surprises him accordingly.

"Jason," Dick says cautiously. "Who is that in your couch?"

Jason freezes up for just a second, before he forcibly relaxes himself. He turns around, throwing Dick a glare as though he has done something wrong by asking about the strange man in his house. As the two brothers watch, the mess of black hair on the far pillow stirs.

"Shit," Jason says. He pushes Dick forcibly into looking back at him. He then fixes his brother with the most serious look Dick has seen on him in a long while.

"Do not say anything stupid now, you hear?" he says. Dick blinks. His eyebrows knot in confusion.

A few seconds later, the strange man comes into the kitchen, wearing a loose fitting t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants that Dick recognises as the ones he handed down to Jason about a year ago. The guy gives Dick an odd look before he goes to rummage through a cabinet as though it is the most natural thing in the world.

Dick clears his throat. The guy blinks, throws a quick glance at Jason, almost as if he is checking with him whether or not he should engage. Jason does not look back at him, though, so he looks at Dick.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he says as though just noticing Dick's presence in the room. He offers him a pleasant smile as he runs a hand through his messy hair.

"I'm Tim," he says. Dick tilts his head. He smiles, amused and intrigued. Jason is - surprisingly and delightfully - turning an odd sort of dark pink beside him.

"No problem at all," Dick replies happily. "I'm Dick. I'm the more handsome and responsible big brother of Jaybird here."

Just for effect, he reaches out and noogies Jason a little. Jason hastily pulls away from him.

"It's nice to meet you, Dick," Tim replies as he goes to set the water boiler on its plate. He places a wrapped teabag next to it on the counter.

"So I have to ask," Dick says, taking the lead. "What brings you to my lovely brother's home? It's not often he keeps company with... anyone, really."

Tim smiles in a way that is obviously meant to be pleasant, but it looks much the same as the one Bruce uses at public events. Pleasant, charming, and not a little bit deadly. Dick likes this man already.

"Jason here lets me stay over from time to time. I'm new in town, you see, and he helps me out a lot. We've become very good friends in the past few weeks."

"Really?" Dick asks, grinning now for an entirely different reason. "Then I take it you're the one I've been hearing so much about?"

Tim confirms his suspicion by smirking at Jason, who rolls his eyes. The joke which hovers in the air between them is unmistakably on Jason, and it annoys him a great deal.

"That would be me, yes." Tim leans back against the counter. He casts an impatient glance at the water boiler behind him. Under Dick's watchful eye, he places a hand on it, and it begins to boil just a little bit faster under his touch.

Dick feels as though Christmas has come early this year. Jason is breathing quite heavily through his nose.

"So you're the new healer?" Dick asks, though he knows the answer. "I'd have thought you guys would come off on the wrong foot, being each other's competition and all."

"Oh, we did," Jason says, just as Tim opens his mouth. Tim gives him a look.

"We have some disagreements," Tim says, placating. His look at Jason is almost fond.

"Maybe," Jason says nonchalantly. "I think his method is overrated bullshit and he thinks mine is slow."

" _So_ slow," Tim replies with great suffering. "A clean flow is much more efficient and effective, and if you observe the right rules-"

"It is bullshit," Jason interrupts, but Tim is not done. In fact, it seems that a floodgate has been opened.

"Bogging down the energy with herbs and vessels makes for a delay of up to two weeks in effect, and it also makes it-"

"They enhance the effect," Jason retorts, "and if you measure the actual effectiveness, it does more than just heal when you use certain-"

They bicker over each other, their voices raising and their hands gesturing. This is evidently not a new argument between the two of them. Dick watches it like an intense tennis match, his eyes darting back and forth between them.

"It's not that dangerous if you follow the rules," Tim insists. "If you rest and pace it, and use the right kind of energy, it doesn't leave any damage at all."

"It's stupid that you use something that wears you out so much in the first place."

The two glare at each other. Tim opens a cabinet and pulls out a cup.

"Is he always this stubborn?" he asks Dick as he goes about preparing his tea. Dick makes an amused sound, and Jason glares daggers at him.

"Can't help you there, bud," Dick tells Jason, forcibly holding his laughter in. This situation is rapidly getting better and better. Even as they argue, he can see the way the two look at each other. He could almost call it fondness, but they may both kill him for that. Either way it is adorable to watch.

Tim walks up to stand by the table with them, taking his fresh cup of tea with him. He stirs it idly, regarding Jason with a quiet but obviously staged disdain.

"Don't give me that look," Jason says, and Dick chokes on his beer beside him. He picks a spoon off the table and scoops up some of the mixture in his bowl. Before Tim has time to react, he has stirred it into Tim's tea with swift, efficient motions.

Tim makes a face, but he says nothing. When he takes his next sip, his eyebrows knot.

"Peppermint?" he asks, surprised. Jason shrugs, doing his best to look uninterested in Tim's presence.

"You wouldn't quit whining about the vanilla. I'm not dealing with that again."

Tim huffs, but Dick has time to see the slight smile before he covers it up with another sip.

"Drink that up, and you'll be back to practicing your overpriced bullshit in no time," Jason says, smiling smugly. Tim laughs into his cup, and Dick chuckles with him.

Dick decides that the conversation has gone on without him long enough. He butts in before Tim can reply, and changes the subject. He reaches a hand over Jason's bowl to shake Tim's.

"It's great to meet you, Tim," he says, flashing some of the patented Wayne charm. "I'm sure we'll become fast friends."

Tim chuckles and shakes his hand. "I'm sure."

"Now," Dick says, "Since you and Jason seem to have gotten pretty close, you of course have to meet the family. Are you free anytime next week?"

It is an underhanded move, and it makes Jason look up at him in horror. Dick has just personally stabbed him in the back, but that is the way of the Waynes. You snooze, you lose, as it were.

Tim looks taken aback, looking between Dick and Jason with something akin to fear. Then he notices Jason's reaction, and an intrigued smile forms on his face.

"I'll be sure to check my calendar," he says to Dick. Dick grins wide.

"That would be great, thanks."

Jason is going to kill him. He regrets absolutely nothing.

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt:   
> Given that Character B has lived in their small town for quite a while, they built up a bit of a monopoly on the pharmacy business and found that they could provide all the medicine the little population would need. One day, however, they notice that the lot across the street was finally bought out by one Character A who (by all chances) is a herbalist who advertises themself as having a natural cure for “all ills.” It looks like Character B has a bit of competition.


End file.
